Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-06-11
THE COMBINATION or SHELTERS,

THE COMBINATION or SHELTERS.
Some time ago nearly all the smelt-
ing works in the country entered into
= combination, the object of which
was alleged to be the recti6cation Of
the basis Of charges, SO Is to make
them more uniform-smelters having
heretofore bought and sold ore upon
. basis which each had fixed for him
self. This basis, although nearly the
same everywhere. still permitted Of
competition among smelters requiring
certain classes Of ores, and was ad-
vantageous to small concerns too
weak to carry, from year to year, large
lots of ore for which they had no i'm
mediate use.
This new rating, based on an anal
ysis OF the ores, which was the excuse
for forming the combination, was q
delusion, since ores have never been
bought otherwise but it enables the
stronger smelters to load up, ct low
rates, with ores which they needed to
mix with what they had on hand;
while at the same time it prevents the
local smelters from paying as high,
for the particular class of ores which
they need, as they have been doing.
For instance, when the combination
was forsned, the Omaha 4 Grant
Works had in Omaha one years sup.
ply Of Wood River ores; at their
Denver works the same company had
from 10000 to 10000 tons of other
ores; the two works combined (which
are by long odds the most extensive
in the country therefore had years
supply on hand; while their weaker
competitors had little or none. Again:
the new basis adopted prevented the
local smelters from paying higher for
the only class of ores which they
needed than the Omaha & Grant and
other works which smelt all ores Of
fered. In such state of affairs it is
easy to be seen that the stronger
works would get all the ore, and the
weaker ones 60 without any.
But this result was not perceived
at that time and the small smelters,
after falling into the trap set for them
by the big smelters, and tying them
selves up with the combination, find
themselves running out of ore, with
out any prospect of replenishing their
fast diminishing supplies, as the
miners, unable to make the profit
which they have heretofore depended
on, shut down their mines as soon as
they are made to feel the power of the
combination.
This so-called notification of rates
which is nothing but what has been
going on for fifteen years, sirce dur
ing that time certain classes of easy
smelling ores have always command.
cd better prices than refractory ores
acts much more disastrously than can
be imagined at first sight In Utah,
for instance, where the charges for
smelling under the new basis are from
IS to $l4 higher per ton than hereto
fore on ore that has been smelted 70,
~ to SIS per ton, 1t must infsllibly
result In the shutting down of whole
districts; and this cessation of opera.
tons, only local at first, must soon ex.
tend through the whole country, until
mono but the very highest grades OF
ores shall pay for mining and smelt.
ing.
OF course, districts whose ores are
Of low grade will be much more Diet
rimentally affected by such state oil
affairs than others which-like Wood
River and Smoky-yield the very
highest grades of smelling ores. Blu,
all will be greatly damaged by it;
and, unless it is put a stop to, three.
fourths of the smelling ore mines
worked At present will have to be
closed until the combination is ''of. y
Thus subject is a very serious one,
demanding the closest scrutiny OF our
best miners; and the TINES com.
mends it to their most careful atten-
ton